3 Thoughts on Mizzou Football's 2026 Schedule

Dates were revealed for Missouri's 2026 schedule Thursday.

Sep 6, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Eliah Drinkwitz during warmups prior to a game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The 2026 schedule for Missouri was always going to be difficult, no matter how the opponents were arranged.

But the dates were given for the Tigers' 2026 schedule Thursday evening. The full schedule is favorable to Missouri in some ways, and unfavorable in others. Here's three takeaways from how the schedule was built.

Missouri's 2026 Schedule

Week 1: vs. Arkansas Pine-Bluff, Sept. 5
Week 2: at Kansas, Sept. 12
Week 3: vs. Troy, Sept. 19
Week 4: at Mississippi State, Sept. 26
Week 5: vs. Florida, Oct. 3
Week 6: vs. Texas A&M, Oct. 10
Week 7: at Ole Miss, Oct. 17
Week 8: Bye week
Week 9: at Arkansas, Oct. 31
Week 10: vs. Texas, Nov. 7
Week 11: at Georgia, Nov. 14
Week 12: vs. Kentucky, Nov. 21
Week 13: vs. Oklahoma, Nov. 28

A Brutal November

A lot can change from one year to the next, but if 2025 was any indication, three of the toughest opponents on Missouri's schedule all are on the slate in November, with the Tigers set to host Texas, and Oklahoma, and also take a road trip to Georgia. A home game against Kentucky is mixed in with those three elite programs.

There is a possible benefit to backloading these games, however. If Missouri contends for a College Football Playoff spot, it will have plenty of opportunities to boost its resume when it matters most.

Under the first two seasons of the expanded playoff, teams on the bubble have spent weeks campaigning for why it deserves a spot, using all sorts of analytics to show its qualifications.

Depending on the standing of the three opponents, Missouri could have three chances to earn a substantial, undeniable resume booster.

Additionally, you want to be playing your best football in November. Facing what could potentially be playoff-level competition would be a perfect on-ramp into what Missouri hopes would be a postseason run.

A New Matchup for Rivalry Week

Included in that stretch is a new opponent to close out the season, with Missouri hosting Oklahoma instead of its usual opponent for Rivalry Week, Arkansas. Missouri has played against the Razorbacks to close out the regular season every year since 2015 (except for the odd 2020 season).

At the very least, this matchup should be more meaningful than any game the Battle Line Rivalry has delivered over recent years. At least one team, if not both, between the Tigers and Sooners could realistically be depending on this game to make a final argument for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

A Timely Bye Week

With the move to nine conference games, the SEC said goodbye to having two bye weeks. Missouri's is in Week 8, set as a midway point of conference play and in between two road games for the Tigers.

The stretch to SEC play shouldn't be as rough as the stretch to close it, but games against Texas A&M then Ole Miss shouldn't be easy either, making the week after those two games a good spot for a break.

With the bye in the middle of the season, it should provide a good resting point for the Tigers, but not disrupt its later-season momentum.